How to Stickhandle

Stickhandling is a most fundamental skill in ice hockey. I urge you to learn how to stickhandle properly from the start; it's too difficult and time consuming to learn stickhandling over if you've been doing it wrong for years. Professional hockey players don't learn how to stickhandle when they get drafted, they put tons of prior hours into learning how. To stickhandle is to dazzle; to dazzle is to get recognized; to get recognized is to make it to the NHL.

How To Hold Stick To Handle Pucks Hold the stick with top hand fairly rigid, gripping the very top of the stick. Handle the bottom of the stick with lower hand about an elbow length down the shaft. Soft hands on the hockey stick handle the puck with feeling and cushioning for better control. If the stick is held too stiffly, then the puck can easily bounce away. Soft hands on the stick will cradle the puck. Practice this with an egg!

How To Stickhandle - Basic Motion

To begin, get the feel of the motion by holding both hands on your stick with it raised out in front of you, slightly off to stick side of your body, at shoulder height, pointing straight ahead. Your bottom arm's elbow will be almost locked straight, and your top arm's elbow will be bent about 90 degrees. Now rotate your stick using your top hand to steer the stick blade in the air, and let the shaft of the stick move freely in the loose grip of your lower hand. That wrist roll is mostly the feel of stickhandling. The top hand maneuvers the puck. Place the stick on the ground or ice and try the same motion. Get used to the wrist roll. Practice it relentlessly without anything to stickhandle.

The Feel Of Stickhandling

"Dribbling" the puck back and forth in front of the body, approximately between the width of the skates, is recommended for beginners to get the feel of handling the puck on the stick. After much repetition, step two would be to raise the head 45 degrees or so while stickhandling and take in a lot more of the rink and bodies with peripheral vision.

How To Stickhandle In Any Situation

Are you confident you're a good enough stickhandler to control the puck in any situation?

It is necessary to repeatedly try moves and practice tricks with the stick, handling a puck in ways that may never even be used in their actual form. The theory is that if you can do moves well in your practicing, and they're beyond what a mere mortal will ever have to do on ice, then you'll be able to do more routine dekes, um, more routinely.

Myth-Guided Franchise Marketing: Disspelling the BYOB! Myth

The "BYOB!" Myth

Imagine this television commercial: a bunch of teenage kids in a house, eating junk food, playing video games with rap music blasting. The narrator says: "Hey kids: tired of listening to your parents? Why not do whatever YOU want to do! Join the Army!"

Ludicrous, right? (Imagine the kids' surprise when their hair gets buzzed off, they're issued identical uniforms and that whole "reveille thing" is explained for the first time.) No one in their right mind would advertise so foolishly, would they?

That would be like recruiting a franchisee, one who must faithfully comply with a system of rigid rules and guidelines, with ads that say :

"Entrepreneurs Wanted!"

"Imagine the freedom! Imagine the opportunity!"

"Promote yourself to President!"

I call it the OYOB! (Own your own business!) and BYOB! (Be your own boss!) marketing myth. To see if you've been infected, check your own marketing materials for these tell-tale phrases: "Own your own business!" "Be your own boss!" "Achieve financial freedom!" "Fire your boss!" "Take control of your life!" or similar variations.

It's not easy to avoid. Believe me, I know. I've probably written more franchise brochures than anyone on the planet, and it's hard work to avoid the easy slogans. But make no mistake: falling into the BYOB! trap is one of the most dangerous mistakes franchisors make. And it's the cause of much of the conflict in franchisor/franchisee relations.

Many franchisors attract prospects with the promise of freeing them from oppression and giving them the chance to gain control. There's only one problem: Franchise systems are built on adherence, not independence. Franchisors want implementers, not rebels. They often recruit individuals who are yearning to break free from their harness, but as soon as the contract is signed the franchisor expects them to docilely slip into their harness.

Requiring conformity, adherence to an established system and a shared identity is not a bad thing. That's what gives franchising its power. So why do franchisors often attract the wrong people by setting the wrong expectations?

The mything link

Why, you may ask, do we sell the opportunity to join a conformist system via a dream of individualism? Why have we, as an industry, perpetuated the link between BYOB! and franchise ownership?

First, because it's an easy sell. It makes your ad copy pop. The dream of being freed from day-to-day tyranny is a powerful one. Telling one's boss to take this job and shove it is the real American Dream. It's Easy Rider. It's Thelma & Louise. It's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Unfortunately, it promises about the same outcome.

Second, too few franchisors have actually given much thought to their franchise marketing message. They tend to just say what everyone else says: B.Y.O.B.! Many commission marketing research and branding platforms at the consumer level; more need to create a thoughtful strategy and platform for their franchise brand.

The third reason for the prevalence of the myth is the influence of commissioned franchise salespeople and brokers who are compensated for short term sales, not the long-term franchisee performance or satisfaction. By the time the franchisees start storming the castle, the commissions are spent and the salespeople are long gone.

Another reason for this myth could be that many who founded and lead franchise companies are, indeed, entrepreneurs and project their own values onto the franchise prospect. They assume that what would motivate them would motivate a prospect. But the fact is that few founders could survive very long as franchisees of their own systems. Those who are looking primarily for implementers should not seek entrepreneurs. One franchisor per system is enough (and, according to some, still one too many).

Be all that you can be... with our franchise.

The Army's effective recruitment advertising does not say "Be your own boss," or "Do what you want." It says "Be all that you can be," and, more recently, "Be an Army of One." It appeals to the individual's self-interest: Communicating what the prospect will gain, what he or she will learn, how joining the Army will make him or her look to others and feel about his or herself. But it sells the benefit of being part of something greater than oneself, of being disciplined and following directions. Above all, there is a regard for the brand, the team, even the rules themselves and the benefits they provide.

Ultimately, the importance of avoiding the BYOB! myth goes beyond effective recruitment and setting realistic expectations. Its importance goes directly to establishing and preserving the trust between franchisor and franchisee that is critical to their mutual success. As Peter Birkeland states at the end of his recent book "Franchising Dreams," establishing high levels of trust with franchisees is the most critical problem for franchisors. "For those who cannot achieve that," states Birkeland, "The problem of control is a never-ending battle of wills."

How franchisor's can avoid the B.Y.O.B.! myth

1. Develop a franchise brand positioning platform. Recognize that your franchise is a separate (though interrelated) brand from your consumer brand, and develop a franchise brand development platform. The platform is generally a document of 10-20 pages that commits to paper the brand identity of the franchise program, specifics of the target franchise prospect, enumerates the benefits of the franchise program in terms that relate to the prospect, and includes a 25-50 word description of the franchise program that everyone in your organization, franchisees included, should eventually be able to recite from memory.

2. Be sure your marketing communicates the franchise brand position. From your lead generation materials (print ads, postcards, in-store messages, mini-brochures, digital brochures, website) to your follow-up materials (franchise brochures, videotapes, email messages, eBrochures), personal interactions and even the portrayal of franchisees in consumer advertising should be consistent with the Franchise Brand positioning.

3. Get your salespeople and brokers on-board. Experienced, reputable salespeople and brokers can be useful in generating interest and following up, but you must be careful that the prospects they bring you - and the prospects you sign - match your profile, are adequately capitalized, have a clear understanding of the franchisor/franchisee relationship and have realistic expectations.

4. Be honest. In franchise sales, honesty truly is the best policy. The prospects who respond to dreams of freedom and easy money are the ones you will spend the most time and money dealing with. Smart franchisors want smart franchisees. And smart franchisees respond to the truth. If you're still working toward excellence, tell them where you are in the process. Then keep working toward it.

5. Re-sell your current franchisees. To calculate how many times you need to re-sell franchise owners, add up every royalty check they'll write and add 1. Continue to promote and reinforce your vision of the franchisee/franchisor relationship internally, and try to positively help those who are the farthest from buy-in in selling their franchise or exiting the system.

Spiritual Awakening: Opening to a Power Greater Than Myself

Almost 27 years ago, my "house of cards" started to fall, and like any chronic alcoholic/addict I started scrambling, on the lookout for ways in which to extricate myself from the mess that I called my life. This time was different; I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. This time I understood at a deep level that I had to change.

With the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, many meetings (sometimes 3 per day), a sponsor, and the people who make it their business to stay clean and sober, I learned a new way of living life on LIFE'S terms. I followed the "suggestions" of the Program. One of which was to find a "higher power."

I was a "cradle Catholic." There was no technique of searching for a higher power in my religious upbringing that I knew of. There was no SEARCHING, period. One did not search. One believed without question. Growing up, I questioned a lot and as a result, was reprimanded for my impertinence. I believed in a "Creator" but had no belief in organized religion, nor confidence in its intrinsic worth. Yet, intuitively I realized that I suffered from a profound soul sickness, and knew deep within my core that my connection with a "power greater than myself" was still intact, albeit weak and powerless.

Scott Peck, author of "The Road Less Traveled," said (at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY.) that not since Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises had anything come closer to a divinely inspired process of becoming closer to one's God or Higher Power than the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. As Fellowship members say, "The Steps are written in order." When taken, or "worked," from Step 1 to Step 12 (which sometimes takes years) the result is, what I would call, "enlightenment." If understanding myself, acknowledging and leaning on a "power greater than myself," enumerating my qualities and shortcomings, making amends when possible and where necessary, and setting the spiritual goal of always working these 12 Steps in my life to the best of my ability IS enlightenment, then I have been introduced to enlightenment! I say, "introduced," because it is a lifelong commitment to change.

Bill Wilson, (one of AA's founders), and the philosopher/theologian William James both believed that a "spiritual awakening" is necessary (for alcoholics and addicts) for change. It is not simply a matter of putting down the bottle or drug, nor is it merely seeing a psychiatrist, and it certainly does not depend on high intelligence! Restoring oneself in any of these ways is admirable, but as Bill Wilson says in AA literature, we all know extremely smart or religious people who have "thought themselves" into the grave. What is required is "a profound personality change."

So it is the spirituality link, awakening to our connection with a higher power, that appears to be the key. My own search, and the searches of many recovering alcoholics/addicts, took me on a journey of spiritual discovery that is ever changing. It is so exciting and rewarding that I shall always be exploring! This is not a "religious" search, nor is AA a religious organization. One's spiritual self is of overriding importance; your religion is your own business. AA is not affiliated with any outside group, be it religious nor worldly. AA has been proven to work where other programs do not, be they 100% religious, or 100% secular. AA teaches us how to live life on life's terms: mentally, physically and spiritually!

On February 1, 2007, I will celebrate 27 years clean and sober. This fact is really only important to me and hopefully to the newcomers who despondently think their lives are over as they attend their first AA meeting! I can truthfully advise them, "If I can do it, you can do it!"

This is how it's done, one day at a time.

Lessons in Beekeeping Lead to Experience

Beekeeping seems like a very interesting business in which you will have to take care of bees and sell their honey but beekeeping is not an easy job.

You first need to learn the steps on how you can make your beekeeping business successful. You have several choices to choose from in how you can educate yourself. You can take lessons online, perhaps your local junior college; you can attend a seminar or even by learning online.

Lessons in beekeeping are the most important things you will have to consider in order for you to be successful. You just have to make sure that you will adopt every aspect of the process from your lessons because one mistake can put your business at risk of failing. There are several choices available to you in how to educate yourself about keeping bees.

If you want to take physical lessons, it would be better for you to attend seminars. Through this, you can see real demonstrations on all aspects of beekeeping from the first lesson to the last.

If you didn't understand one or two steps, you can ask the instructor as they can repeat the information or demonstration again so you will be able to understand. By attending seminars, you will have to pay for a reservation so you can be sure that you are going to be part of that session because if you don't, you will have to wait for another session to be available.

If you want to take lessons in beekeeping and not have to leave home, you will want to read and understand every step and you can learn through the resources available on the internet.

It is relatively easy to search for a great website that offers beekeeping lessons; you can even find numerous websites that offers a free membership. There, you will find all the lessons you will need and you can learn during your free time.

You will learn the proper way on how to make an artificial beehive, the proper way to take care of the bees, and the best way to get their honey.

How to Choose the Best Health Insurance

It is very difficult to evaluate what health insurance plan is the best fit for you if you don't have a basic knowledge of insurance industry lingo and terminology. An insurance provider can describe the various insurance plans ad nauseam, but unless you understand the technical terms, you are not likely to be any wiser by the end. The following are some of the most commonly used and important health insurance terms:

Exclusions: the services that will not be covered under a health insurance policy. Exclusions vary per provider, but cosmetic surgery, experimental treatments, or home care would be examples of common exclusions.

Co-payment: the fixed out-of-pocket amount that you will pay for each medical service or prescription before its provider begins to pay for the service or prescription. This amount will also vary per policy, but usually range from $10.00 to $50.00.

Co-insurance: the percentage of the total cost that you will pay for a medical expense. Co-insurance may be in lieu of a co-payment or in addition to it. It also varies per policy, but a common arrangement is 20% patient payment and 80% insurance provider payment.

Deductible: the amount of out-of-pocket money you will pay before any health care expense is paid by the health insurance provider. The annual deductible can be anywhere from $500 dollars to thousands, depending on what type of insurance plan you choose.

Coverage Limits: the pre-set monetary amount that a health insurance plan will cover. Once you incur medical expenses past the limit, you will be responsible to pay the entire amount out-of-pocket. (Note: the Obama health care reform includes phasing out annual coverage limits by setting annual limits no lower than $750,000 this year, $2 million in 2012, and completely prohibiting them in 2014.)

Premium: the monthly payment amount that you pay to your health insurance provider to continue coverage.

Out-of-Pocket Maximums: the point where your payment obligation ends and the health insurance company pays all future covered medical costs. These maximum out-of-pocket expenses can be applied to a particular benefit section or the all the policy benefits.

How to Determine What Health Insurance Plan Is the Right One

Health insurance coverage should be based on individual need and monetary resources.

Cost is obviously a huge consideration, but luckily consumers have a lot of health care plan options. The cost of a health care plan will vary based on the benefits it provides and what insurance company is providing it. Exclusions, coverage limits, deductibles, etc.. will all impact the monthly premium amount.

At the same time, a policy is virtually worthless if it fails to cover your expected medical needs; for example, if you expect to become pregnant, but the coverage excludes maternity, it probably will not be a very beneficial plan for you. There may also be certain known medical needs, such as prescription medications, mental health needs, immunizations, home health, therapy, eyeglasses, or preventative care, that you would want to ensure are covered in whatever health insurance policy you choose. Always understand the benefit's a plan offers before signing on the dotted line.

Lastly, you should make sure that the plan is offered by a reputable health insurance company. It is also beneficial if the company has a professional insurance agent available for you to meet with. The insurance agent can best apprise you of all of your health care coverage options, help you determine what plan best encompasses your financial and medical need, and answer any policy-specific questions you might have.

Freelance Article Writing - My Guide to Help You Make Money Online

One of the best ways to make money online is to use the skills in which you posses. Something that I have done previously, and made money from doing is writing. Nearly everyone can write, and with free programs available for writing with, it is easy for you to do so. Now not everyone has the imagination and creativity to write when there is no reason to, and thus writing without a client can be very difficult. The best way to make money through writing articles is to write for exactly what a client wants.

These articles can be pretty basic, but there are some things which you can include to make them worth the money you will be selling them for, and this is how you really start to make money online. The reason that people buy articles is that either they are too lazy to write them, or that they are not skilled enough to do so. This is where you come in, as you can write the articles for them.

To make these articles worth selling, and also to make them attractive so people will buy your services, you need to offer them something more than just words. You need to make the content that you write keyword rich, so that search engines pick up on the keywords and link the website to google, and so more traffic is gained. This is a very easy technique to implement, and it can be very easy to hide. For example, the keyword phrase that I have based this article around is make money online, and I have included it without you even realising that I have. This technique is extremely useful as the search engines will pick up on this, and will drive traffic to your site.

It is possible however to write articles without a client, and you can do them in blocks. For example, if you were to write 10 articles about weight loss, you can sell them as a package.

One thing you need to be aware of when writing articles, is that it is the way you sell your service that gets you money. You are extremely likely to be undercut on your prices. However this is usually by people who do not have a good understanding of the English language, and the articles will not make sense, you have to prove in your advertisement that you can speak very good English, and make sure that your spelling and grammar is perfect.

This is just a basic overview of how to make money through writing. There are many other things that you can write other than articles, however this is a great place to get started.

Child Care and Developing Essential Skills

Child care is always a difficult decision for many parents. More often than not, it's probably the first time parents have allowed their little one out of their sight for such an extended period of time with people that they are not intimately familiar with. Their babysitters so far have likely either been other family members or close friends that they trust. Still, "early childhood education," as it has come to be alternatively called, has become an increasingly popular option among parents in the U.S., and is now considered the norm.

Part of this can no doubt be attributed to some of the factors associated with the educational aspects of child care (as its other moniker indicates). With the advances in both childhood and educational psychology in the past half-century, both parents and doctors alike now recognize how essential and formative the first few years of a human's life are to their social skills, morality, discipline, and ability to absorb and utilize new information. For this reason, child care is now thought more of as a pre-school type educational experience than simply a place to leave a kid to be babysat while their parents are away at work.

Whereas leaving your kid at home with just a babysitter or au-pair is perfectly fine, it does not place the boy or girl in a social setting in which he or she comes into contact with people his or her own age; and there have thus been concerns about social development among kids who are left at home rather than encouraged to branch out. They may have trouble finding friends or various social circles later in life because it was not a skill they learned at an early age. Further, we must remember that the caretakers are professionally trained. In addition to being able to perform all first-aid measures and being CPR-certified, many of them are trained in early-age education. In fact, one of the first and most important skills taught to kids while they are at child care is learning elementary reading skills-from learning the alphabet to sounding out their first words on their own.

There is also, of course, plenty of recess time for kids to get out and stretch their legs. This aspect has been especially important as of late when we consider the decline of exercise among young kids in recent years. Encouraging kids to explore the playground and run around will increase the chances of those kids deciding to go outside and play soccer instead of staying inside and playing soccer on a video game as they grow up. Child care is an affordable and dependable service that can help parents' little ones develop crucial skills and learn valuable lessons that they will practice to their benefit as they continue to maturate.

Student Loan Consolidation Tips Guide

During their student life, students accumulate a number of loans to secure their college degrees. These loans prove to be helpful for a while, however when the time for their repayment arrives, their numerous monthly installments with different interest rates pester the students causing them to lose their sleep and get diverted from the path of success in their career. Hence, the most desirable thing to do to avoid this kind of situation is to opt for a Student Loan Consolidation.

Student Loan Consolidation is basically a loan which absorbs all the previous loans taken by a student to finance his studies and other needs. By consolidating all his loans a student saves his time and effort as it is much easier to handle one payment monthly than several separate payments. Secondly, a consolidated student loan carries a lower interest rate than the various other student loans. Moreover when a student opts for a consolidated loan he has to pay only one interest rate, not several different rates. Also, a consolidated loan offers more flexible repayment options than the other loans. This type of loan is also generally free of any kind of prepayment penalty.

Student Loan Consolidation rates might vary depending upon the student's financial situation. It will be very easy to acquire an excellent Student Consolidation Loan plan if one has a credit score of more than 660 (FICO score). Different lenders offer different monthly plans according to the student's loan situation. Some lenders might offer 50% lower monthly plans than others. A student should review the terms and conditions of all the lenders and should select the one who offers simplest repayment options with a monthly payment that will not become a burden for him.

While considering consolidation a student should always opt for fixed interest rate rather than floating rate. This reduces the element of uncertainty and clearly defines what one has to repay in future. Hence, one should always choose a lender who is offering the lowest fixed interest rate. One should select the payment period, which does not burden him in any way. This is very significant as the rate of interest and monthly installments are both calculated according to the duration of the loan. Whether the lender will be able to extend the payment period according to the needs of the borrower should also be enquired first. Above all, it is recommended that a student should avoid Student Loan Consolidation if he has already paid a major part of his loans because opting for consolidation on this stage can reset the loan process, which will ultimately make him pay more than what he had planned for.

Keeping these tips in mind a student should first do his homework by carrying out a survey of what the numerous Student Loan Consolidation companies are offering him and then go for the best deal that will make it easier for him both financially and psychologically to get rid of his debt.

Better Health Through Positive Thinking

Mind over matter is more than a scientific mantra. Better health through positive thinking is no longer a new age superstition. Scientists and members of the medical community are embracing the concept that thinking positively leads to behaving positively which in turn improves overall health. At one time scientists refuted this idea in part because happiness and optimism are difficult to measure in scientific terms. However, today study groups as well as therapy sessions are proving that better health can be obtained through positive thinking.

Studies indicate that human thinking patterns affect human behavioral patterns. Therefore, better health can be achieved through positive thinking and positive behavior, which in turn results in better health. Patients who remain in a positive mood can manage pain and severe symptoms as well as change their lifestyle more effectively than patients who are feeling down. This means thinking positive means positive health benefits.

Healthy people tend to eat healthy and take time to do healthy activities so it makes sense that healthy people also have healthy thoughts. The same is true with health care putting forward a positive attitude will help your body assert itself in a positive way. This means looking at the positive aspects of every situation. Instead of dwelling on the negative a positive person tends to focus on the opportunities and solutions associated with various issues. In health care focusing on solutions is the easiest way to better health.

This technique influences health by decreasing stress, lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease and even increasing life expectancy. Many groups, including cancer support groups and weight loss programs, are incorporating therapies designed to encourage thinking positive into their regiments for better long term results.

Medical professional have suspected that better health can be achieved through positive thinking yet studies are really just now being conducted. The health benefits of positive thinking are that they empower the patient to behave positively as well as be proactive about their health. The mind can not magically heal a broken leg overnight but it can allow the patient to feel good about the healing process, prevent the patient from feeling defeated and giving up on healing as well as make the time in recovery more pleasant and relaxing.